beef

We all love ourselves a chunk of short rib falling right off the bone or a slice of fatty pork belly. But what exactly makes these cuts more tender than others? Our friends at ChefSteps break down the basic science in a short article, along with a video included here.

V-Day! We're slapping a big piece of meat on the grill (or in the grill pan, since there's still about two feet of snow taking up our grilling turf). Show off that perfect medium-rare you've perfected over the years, or skip cooking altogether and impress with the best tartare your date's ever had. Don't worry, there's a cauliflower steak and a lobster steak in there, too. Now's not the time to leave anyone out of a good time.

Beef tenderloin is a great dish to fall back on when you're looking to feed a crowd and don't have much time. For this recipe, we threw thyme and rosemary in the grinder with dried porcini mushroom to make a dry rub that creates a crispy crust when the meat was cooked. Although a sauce is not necessary, use a porcini and red wine reduction to tie it all together.

Ever heard of biltong? I didn't think so, but as a general dried and cured meat enthusiast, I'm happy to report that South Africa has the global beef jerky game nailed down. As far as I know, there's only one place to get this meaty goodness in the U.S., and that's at Jonty Jacobs, Soho's brand spankin' new beef boutique. Get ready to treat yourself.

Okay, this picky eater thing has gone far enough. It's time to terrify the dickens out of those little tykes. Oh yeah? Okra's gross? Well let me just whip off this stainless steel serving dome and...COW TONGUE. The lovable children of Kids React make it pretty clear at first that okra's suddenly not gross at all because okra doesn't have visible taste buds, but once they get a piece of this famous delicacy down the hatch, they might be deli converts for life.

Morgan’s Barbecue is bringing the famous frito pie north to NYC. Their version is served old-school style in a slit-open Fritos bag, smothered with Texas red chili and topped with white onion, cheddar cheese, sour cream, scallions and Morgan’s signature slow-smoked brisket.

Harlem Shake's burger recipe includes a blend of sirloin, chuck and brisket (though, you’re fine to use one or the other). Owner Jelena Pasic insists on using Martin’s Potato Rolls, which we agree is one of the best moves for backyard burger grilling. And when it comes to cooking the burger, she suggests using a cast-iron skillet and employing a “smashing” technique that achieves a nice crust. Oh, and they loaned us their secret sauce recipe (thanks again!)

We love the New York Times food section, so we picked up a copy of The Essential New York Times Grilling Cookbook, with recipes from the past century (or so) of outdoor cooking. All your favorite authors contributed recipes, but we're crazy about this beef tartare burger from Mark Bittman's The Minimalist For The Grill: Burgers Beyond The Basic.